Boilers wake up in the second half to win

On By Littum

SEATTLE — After a clumsy first half, Purdue basketball stormed back to an emphatic Big Ten road win Wednesday.

The Boilermakers extended their winning streak to six with a 69-58 victory in Washington. They trailed by 10 before their final possession of the first half and then dominated the second half. Only a late Huskies push prevented a sixth straight 18-plus point win.

Trey Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst combined for 34 points and 12 rebounds to win the matchup with Washington’s veteran big men. After a rough first half, their free throw shooting also helped spark the second half separation.

Purdue basketball turning point

Down 30-20 late in the first half, Purdue head coach Matt Painter called a timeout and set up a chance for Kaufman-Renn inside, which he converted.

Coming out of the break, the Boilers went back to their big man inside for another basket. Then Furst came up with a block and a deflected pass to cause a turnover on the same possession. Braden Smith hit Purdue’s first 3-pointer in transition.

When Smith drove baseline and dumped to Kaufman-Renn for another bucket, it sparked a 13-2 run to end the half. Purdue led 33-32.

Early offense freezes quickly

Purdue found almost equal success getting the ball inside to Kaufman-Renn and Furst against Washington greats Great Osobor and Wilhelm Breidenbach. However, those early baskets began to convert into revenue. The Boilers’ starting lineup also went 2-for-6 at the free throw line in the first.

Similar to the most recent road game, last Thursday at Rutgers, Purdue also couldn’t buy a 3. A 39.7% 3-point shooting team entering went 0-for-6 in the first half and didn’t make its first before 17. :56 left to play. Osobor, who shot 26.7% from behind the arc before Wednesday, made both of his first-half attempts.

All of the above came together in one of the most frustrating offensive halves of the season.

3 stars

  • Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: Despite the rough stretch in the first half, his presence changed the game at several intervals. Finished with 19 points and six rebounds and did not turn the ball over in the second half.
  • Caleb Furst, Purdue: Once again a catalyst. His conventional three-point play with 5:07 left after the Huskies cut the lead to 10 provided the final nail.
  • Great Osobor, Washington: He turned it over six times, undermining his inexperienced effective shooting. Made 7-8 from the field and 5-of-5 from 3 to match how many he had made all season. Scored 23 with eight rebounds.

What’s next

Purdue’s lone West Coast Big Ten road trip of the season moves on to Oregon on Saturday. The Ducks have been inactive since last Sunday, when they extended their winning streak to three with an 82-81 victory at Penn State.